goodson



G. A. GOODSON.

MOTOR DRIVEN CLOCK.

' APPLICATION FILED AUG.27.19I3- 1 193 012, Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES IN VENTOR of George A. Goodsm UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

GEORGE A. GOODSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MOTOR-DRIVEN CLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

Application filed August 27, 1913. Serial No. 786,834.

provide a time indicating device suitablefor use 1n clock towers, on advertising signs and,

in other places where a large dial and heavy indicating hands are desirable, this device being arranged for motor drive, and with control mechanism interposed between the motor and a suitable time measuring device to thereby control the motor in its action on the hands or other indicating mechanism.

In accordance with the arrangement here disclosed. the indicating hands need not be counterbalanced, and they can be made to move with regularity under adverse weather conditions, and even though covered with ice and snow, and offering a variable resistance to the driving mechanism.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be made clear by the following description, which is to be taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein'- Figure 1 is an elevation of the complete mechanism partly in section, the electrical circuits being indicated diagrammatically. F ig. 2 is a transverse section through the control mechanism. Fig. 3'is a longitudinal section through the time measuring device and the control mechanism, and illustrates the means used for shifting one of the contacts of the control mechanism to equalize the wear. Fig. 4 illustrates a modification wherein the motor current does not pass directly through the control mechanism, but is governed by a relay actuated by current through the control mechanism, and also shows an electrically operated regulator for the time measuring device. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the mechanism of Fig. 1 which differs from that of Fig. 1 more particularly because of the omission of the contact shift ing devices.

In the embodiment illustrated, the time indicating device comprises a dial 1, a

minute hand 2 and an hour hand 8, these parts being of large proportions and suited for exposure to the Weather, though 'it is to be understood that other time indicating devices might be actuated by the mechanism here disclosed. The minute hand 2 isfastoned directly to the main shaft 4 of the apparatus, this shaft being carried iii-bearing III a pair of supporting plates 5 and 6 secured by four standards or staffs 7, the entlre framework so formed being supported from the board or Wall 8 of the'dial face by insulators 9, these insulators being desirable to prevent grounding of the electrical circuit used to actuate the driving motor.

The hour hand 3 is fastened by a screw to a sleeve 10 mounted to turn on the main shaft 4, and with a positive connection to that shaft through a train of gears at 11 suitably proportioned to give the proper relative movement between the hour hand and the minute hand. The main shaft 4 is permanently geared to an electro-motive device 12, which may be an ordinary electric motor, preferably a series motor, and capable of operation at relatively high speed when in action driving said main shaft 1. The motor is bolted to frame-plate 5 and carries a pinion 13 on its armature shaft meshing with a gear 15 on a countershaft carried in brackets 16 bolted to plate5, this countershaft carrying a worm 17 meshing with a worm gear 18 which is pinned to a vertical shaft 19 carried in a U-shaped support 20 attached to frame-plate 6. This shaft 19 carries a worm 21 meshing permanently with a. large gear 22 permanently attached to main drive shaft 4. R0- tation of the motor even to a small extent will produce a rotation of main shaft 4 and some movement of the minute hand and of the hour hand, but the speed reduction be- "tween the motor and the clock hands is so great that a very considerable movement of the motor armature may be made with very little movement of the hands. The motor can be made of any suitable size, and if powerful enough will overcome any obstruc tions such as snow or ice on the hands, and because of its positive connection with the hands at all times obviates the necessity for any counterbalancing of the weight of the hands, and gives to the mechanism" as a whole a reliability not heretofore common in time indicators of large dimensions working under adverse weather conditions and the like.

The time measuring device whereby the movements of the motor are controlled may comprise an escapement and speed reducing gears of any approved design, as indicated somewhatdiagrammatically in Fig. 3, these being effective to drive a sleeve 23 connected by a suitable clutch 24 to an arbor 25, this arbor passing through the platform plate 26, whereby the time measuring device is supported on four insulating posts 27 two of which are shown broken away in Flg. 1 the better to show the parts beyond. This arbor 25 is permanently secured to a disk 28 having broadhubs, one of which forms a seat for a swinging contact arm 29, and the other a seat for the permanent attachment of the inner end of a clock spring 30. There is also a yielding connection between disk 28 and swinging arm 29,preferablyin the form ofa coiled spring 31 wound about the cylindrical bearing portion of arm 29 and having one end secured to disk 28, and the other end lying against the rear or trailing edge of the swinging arm 29, as indicated in Fig. 2. This spring tends to hold arm 29 against a stop pin 29' carried on disk 28.

The clock spring 30 has its outer end attached to, but insulated from, a pin- 32 carried by an arm 33 pinned to the main drive shaft 4. Initially, spring '30 is under ten' sion, and at each progressive movement of main shaft 4, the spring will be wound up, thereby compensating for any unwinding that may have occurred preparatory to forward rotation ofmain shaft 4. Opposite arm 33, and also secured-to shaft 4, is a longer arm 34, the outer end of which is shaped to form a cylindrical bearing through which projects a short shaft 35 carrying on its outer end a cylinder of carbon 36 adapted to serve as an electrical contact to cotiperate with a carbon block 37 seated in the outer and laterally bent end of contact arm 29. The other end of shaft 35 carries a pinion 38 pinned thereto and meshing with a stationary gear 39 bolted to frameplate 6 and serving merely to give arotary motion to pinion 38 and shaft 35 when the pinion rolls around on the gear, in accordance with the rotation of main shaft 4, this rotary movement of the inion serving to rotate the carbon cylin er 36 and thus equalizing the wear on the cylinder. Coincident with the rotarynnotion of shaft 35 it is given an endwise thrust, this being efiected by means of a circular cam plate 40 attached to frame-plate 6 and lying in the path of the rounded inner end of shaft 35. A coil spring 41 I ositioned between pinion 38 and arm 34 ho ds shaft 35 in contact with this cam, and gear 39 is wide enough to permit the shifting movement of its pinion 38. The rotary and longitudinal movements of contact cylinder 36- progressively expose all parts of it for contact with carbon block 37, and this distributes the disintegrating action of the current over a large area. It will be understood that graphite and graphite mixtures may be used for the parts 36 and 37.

The electrical connections include a current supply conductor 42 connected with platform plate 26, current passing therefrom through contact arm 29 to contact block 37 which, if in contact with cylinder 36, will deliver the current through arm 34 and the parts associated therewith to frameplate 6 from which a conductor 43 leads to one of the motor terminals. The other motor terminal is connected directly with a current supply conductor 44.

With the several parts constructed and arranged as above disclosed and with tension on clock spring 30 and a suitable electromotive force impressed on conductors 42 and 44, the motor will start, and through its geared connection with main shaft 4 will slowly turn minute hand 2, and will also move hour hand 3, and at the same time shaft 4 will swing arm 33 far enou h to put a little more tension on spring 30. his motion of the motor will continue until contact block 36 has moved out of effective connection with block 37, and has thereby interrupted the flow of current to the motor, it

.being understood that contact arm 29 cannot swing forward fast enough to remain in connection with the cylinder because of the restraining action of pin 29' carried on disk 28, but it must wait until that disk has slowly turned through an appreciable angle, and that slow movement of the disk is, of course, governed by the escapement of the time measuring device operatively connected with the other end of arbor 25. Eventually, however, disk 28 will swing its stop pin 29 far enough to reestablish electrical connection'between the carbon contacts, and thereupon the motor will again start and will again shift the minute and hour hands, wind the clock spring 30, rotate cylinder 36, and shift it lengthwise, and then stop, leaving the parts in position for further movement after the escapement has measured off a time interval corresponding with the movement which the motor has already effected.

As a means for setting the hands when the device is started, or for readjusting the hands while the device is in action, I make use of a hand wheel 45 positively attached to arbor 25 in such a way that this arbor can be shifted by hand either forward or backward with respect to the escapement mechanism, the clutch 24 permitting such a shift. If the arbor is shifted backward, then a consider able time interval must elapse before the cs should fail temporarily, the escapement of the time measuring device will continue to act under the driving impulse of clock spring 30, and disk 28 and its stop pin 29' will continue to move, leaving contact arm 29 with its carbon block 37 resting in contact with cylinder 36, and this condition will continue for the major portion of an hour or until the 1 electrical power comes on again, and thereupon the motor will start and will continue in action until swinging arm 29 has caught up with its pin 29, after which the motor will resume its normal intermittent action. It therefore follows that even in the emergency of a temporary failure of the electrical supply resulting in a loss of time, as indicated at the dial, that 10$ will be made up promptly as soon as the current comes on, and thereafter the indications at the dial will be wholly correct and unaffected by the temporary cessation. Of course, spring 31 is weak enough to permit a wide swing of arm 29 about the arbor 25 without shifting that arbor with respect to the escapement, or, in

other words, spring 31 and clutch 24 are so adjusted that even though the clutch can be shifted by hand manipulation of wheel. 45, it will not be shifted through the action of spring 31 w I The modification illustrated in Fig. 5 omits the mechanism for rotating and longitudinally shifting the contact cylinder, its carbon contact block 36' being rigidly attached to'the arm 34. In Fig. 5 there is shown on the end of the arbor 25' a disk 46 which, as shown in Fig. 4, is provided with a notch 47, this disk taking the place of the hand wheel 45 of Fig. 1, and serving to slip the clutch 24 to adjust the arbor with respect tothe escapement. This adjustment may be made automatic, and controlled from a d stance at regular intervals, say, once an hour by means of a bell crank lever 48 (Fig. 4) pivotally mounted on the platform plate 26' and actuated by an eleotro-magnet 49 energized by current from a suitably distant master clock. Bell crank 48 carries at its outer end a wedgeshaped tongue 50, which, when forced down, into the notch 47 of disk 46 will give it a push either forward or backward if the disk is not in exact alinement. The current impulse to electro-magnet 49 is sent out from the distant master clock at the instant when, the0- retically, the wedge-shaped tongue 50 is exactly centered above the notch47, and, if the device as a whole is running either fast or slow as compared to the master clock, the small inaccuracy in the alinement between tongue 50 and notch 47 will be forcibly corrected when the tongue goes to the bottom of the notch and slips clutch 24 to. shift the arbor'either forward or backward with re spect to the escapement. This shifting of I the arbor has the effect above set forth as resulting from hand manipulation of wheel 45. In the modification illustrated in Fig. 4,

the current, for the electric m otor l2' does not pass through the contact device, but in passing from conductor 42 through the motor and returning to conductor 44' passes through a relay, the movable element 51 of which is controlled in position by an electromagnet 52 connected in as part of a shunt circuit across conductors 42 and 41', the flow ofcurrent to the electro-magnet being governed by the setting of the contact blocks 36 and 37. With this arrangement, heavy currents can be used on the motor and light currents can be used at the movable contacts thereby cutting down the danger of excessive disintegration of the contact blocks after long continued service in conjunction with a motor of large size.

I claim:

1. In a clock mechanism, the combination of a rotating shaft,an armcarried thereby, an arbor in alinement with said shaft, a driving spring for said arbor connected with said arm, a contact member carried by said arm, asecond contact member carried by said arbor and means for rotating said firstnamed contact member with respect to its supporting arm when that arm turns with its shaft.

2. In.a clock mechanism, the'combination of a rotating shaft, an arm carried thereby, a contact member mounted to turn in said arm, a pinion for rotating said contact member in said arm, a stationary rack engaging with said pinion, and means for periodically bringing a second contact member into engagement with said first-named contact member to establish electrical connection therewith.

3. In a clock mechanism, the combination .of a rotating shaft, an arm carried thereby, an electrical contact element mounted to rotate in said arm, gearing for rotating said element and cam mechanism for shifting said element axially in said arm when said arm turns with said shaft.

4. In a clock mechanism, the combination of a rotating shaft, an arm carried thereby, a shaft mounted to turn in said arm, a cylindrical contact element mounted on one end of said shaft, a pinion mounted on said shaft, a stationary rack engaging with said pinion to rotate sa d contact e e ent and a cam engaging the endof said contact supporting shaft to shift the contact element axially while it rotates.

5. The combination of time indicating mechanism, a rotary electro-motive device positively and permanently geared to drive the same, a time measuring device, a contact element moving with said time indicating mechanism, a second contact: element turning in accordance with the measurement of time at said time measuring device, said contact elements being connected to establish the flow of current in said electro motive device whenever the time indicating mechanism begins to lag behind the pro gressive movement of the time measuring device and means for progressively changing the wearing face of one of said contact elements.

6. The combination of time indicating mechanism, a rotary electric motor positively and permanently geared to drive said mechanism, a time measuring device, and control mechanism interposed betweensaid time measuring device and said motor, said control mechanism comprising a contact arm turning under control of the time measuring device, and a second contact arm movable on its axis in accordance with movements atthe time indicating mechanism and" having a contact element rotating to equalize the wear, said arms being effective to establish the flow of current through said motor whenever the time indicating mechanism begins to lag behind the time measuring device, this flow of current being maintained until the forward movement of the motor has served to separate said contact arms.

7. The combination of time indicating mechanism, a rotary electro-motive device positively and permanently geared to drive said mechanism, a time measuring device, a contact element turning on its axis in response .to forward movement of the time indicating mechanism and simultaneously rotating on a second axis, and a second contact element turning in response to forward movement of the time measuring device, said elements coming into yielding contacting relationavhen said time indicating mechanism is to be advanced to correspond with the measurement of time at the time measuring device and said elements being separated automatically when the necessary forward advance of the time indicating mechanism has been effected.

8. The combination of a time measuring device having an escapement and an arbor, a spring for driving said time measuring device, a contact progressively moving in accordance with the measurement of time by said time measuring device, an electromotive device, a main shaft positively driven thereby, a contact element carried by said main shaft and. adapted to shift across the effecting path of the contact element of the time measuring device, means for said shifting, said contact elements being connected to establish the flow of current through the electro-motive device whenever said main shaft begins to lag behind the progressive forward movement of said arbor.

9. The combination of a time measuring device having an arbor and a driving spring, a shaft in axial alinement with said arbor and having an arm connected with the wind ing end of said driving spring, a rotary electro-motive device operatively and continually connected to rotate said shaft, a contact arm turning with said shaft when it rotates, and a second contact arm carried by saidarbor and spring-pressed to follow behind the first contact arm to establish elec- 'trical connection therewith, said electroanotive device being in circuit with said connection and thereby energized to interrupt the connection and simultaneously wind the spring of the time measuring device.

10. The combination of a rotary electromotive device, a main shaft driven thereby through reduction gearing, a time measuring device having an arbor in alinement with said main shaft and having a driving spring operatively connected to said shaft so that said spring will be wound up by rotation of said shaft, electrical connections for delivering current to said electro-motive device, sald connections including a pair of contacts, one turning with said main shaft when it rotates, and the other following behind under control of the time measuring device, said contact elements governing the flow of current to the motor to effect rotation of said main shaft in accordance with advancement of the arbor of the time Incas uring device, and gearing for rotating one of said contact elements as it turns with said main shaft.

11. The combination of time indicating mechanism, including a main shaft, a rotary electromotive device positively and permanently geared thereto through reduction gearing to drive the same, a time measuring device comprising an escapement, an arb r. and a clutch between said escapement and said arbor, a driving spring for actuating said time measuring device and a hand wheel for turning said arbor independently of said escapement through slipping of said clutch, and control mechanism interposed between said time measuring device and said main shaft to regulate the delivery of current to the electromotive device thereby to regulate the advancement of the time indicating mechanism, said control mechanism including an arm yieldingly mounted to swing about the arbor of the time measuring device and bearing a contact element, and also including a contact clement movable in accordance with the rotary motion of said main shaft and also turning on its own axis, said contact elements following one another around and making contact to energize the electromotive device whenever the time indicating mechanism begins to lag behind the time measuring device. 1

12. In a device of the character described, the combination of a main shaft, an electric motor for rotating said shaft, a time measuring device having an arbor in alinement with said shaft, said time measuring device having a spring operatively connected to be wound whenever said main shaft moves forward, a contact arm mounted to swing about said arbor, a stop, a spring for yieldingly urging said arm against said stop, said stop turning with said arbor, and a contact arm mounted to swing with said main shaft and positioned in the path of the first mentioned contact arm and movable back and forth across said path, the contact element of said drive shaft moving forward whenever the motor rotates and the other contact element following behind under control of the time measuring device to control the flow of current to the motor.

13. In a device of the character described, the combination of a time indicating mechanism having a main shaft, a. rotary motor operatively connected to drive said shaft, a time measuring device having an arbor in alinement with said shaft and having an escapement connected with said arbor, a pair of contact elements, one turning with, said shaft and the other turnin with said arbor and operatively connecte to control the flow of current to said motor thereby controlling the advancementof the time indicating mechanism in accordance with the advancement of the time measuring device and means for progressively shifting one of said contact elements to change its point of contact with the other and thereby distribute the wear.

14. In a device of the character described, the combination of time indicating mechanism having a main shaft, a rotary motor permanently connected through reduction gearing to drive said shaft, a time measuring device having an arbor and having an escapement for regulating the rotation of said arbor, movable contact elements, one carried by said main shaft and one movable with said arbor, said elements being operatively connected to control the delivery of current to said motor and shift with respect to each other to equalize the wear, and means permitting said arbor to shift with respect to said escapement thereby advancing or retarding the time indicating mechanism with respect to the escapement.

.In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE A. GOODSON.

Witnesses:

L. Barns, ARBA B; MARVIN. 

